


Here's To The Night

by khloya



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-28
Updated: 2013-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-19 19:17:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/576723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khloya/pseuds/khloya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And so every day, all of them gather on the lawn and spread out their lunches, sharing and laughing and acting like complete fools. None of them really know why they all cling to each other like plastic wrap, but they do. And that’s what makes everything in their lives so insane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When the first dark had fallen around them

**Author's Note:**

> I'm part of an Avengers RP where I play an OC character, Chloe Logan, the niece of X-Man, Wolverine. Honestly, she should be canon. Ask everyone. Anyway, this is a high school AU loosely based on the craziness that's happened in our RP over the past few months. Hope you enjoy :-) http://www.thewolf-chloe.tumblr.com

For some reason, Chloe Logan never found herself eating a normal school lunch _ever_ in 4 years. Not that the food was bad or anything, but honestly, she’d thought mystery meat was a myth. The people she sat with weren’t so normal either. They were an odd group, Chloe’s friends, and they could never get a lunch table big enough, so that’s what led her to the third and final non-normal lunch routine: eating in a giant clump on the front lawn of the school. But that wasn’t so bad either. The 12 of them, all sort of paired off into smaller groups, but still managing to all watch out for each other in the end.

There was **Bucky Barnes** , Chloe’s best friend. She’s only known him for about a year, but they immediately hit it off. He was in some exchange program and got sent off to Russia but then came back with awesome Kung Fu skills and a serious love of booze. Not to mention he was about 1200 times hotter than everyone said he was. Who _wouldn’t_ latch on to him? Originally, he was Steve Rogers’s best friend—and she guesses they still are—but she just likes to invite him over for ice cream and the occasional bottle of Bacardi, and may obscene gay jokes. That’s just what best friends are supposed to do. Bucky was your average teen, partying and drinking, and sometimes Chloe thought he was into MJ and all it’s _friends_ , but she tried not to think about it. (Unless you think MJ stands for Michael Jackson—then yes, James Buchannan Barnes is a _huge_ fan.)

Bucky hangs out with this Russian girl, **Natasha Romanoff** , a lot. (Creepy Russians everywhere; it’s like they’re trying to communize, but not really.) Chloe thought she was pretty cool, actually. She, too, was a serious badass in the Kung Fu department—“I bet Barnes only digs her because she can kill him with her thighs,” Tony Stark had grumbled once, after announcing his Bucky Gaydar was at an all time low. Granted, Natasha did have the poor kid in a headlock, writhing on the ground.—and she was pretty good at ballet too, which Chloe appreciated. She kept kind of to herself, and everyone was pretty sure she’d thought of 8 ways to kill each of them, differently. In a nutshell, they all tried to stay on her good side to avoid roundhouse kicks and angry Russian cusswords.

Rumor has it that Nat once hooked up with **Clint Barton** on a school trip to Budapest, but no one really knows what happened. Clint is kind of a freak. He’s currently president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary of the Archery Club, population: _him_. It’s a little creepy, to be honest, considering no one funds it, and it’s meetings consist of him shooting arrows at photographs of a bald Britney Spears. (None of them are sure why that is.) Other than all that, Chloe finds him to be pretty interesting. He’s got all kinds of cool stories about how he grew up in a circus caravan, and even though Steve is constantly drawing him as a clown, it’s some really tragic stuff. Clint’s kind of had a thing with Chloe’s other best friend, **Darcy Lewis** , for a while too. They’ve been going pretty strong for a few solid months now, despite the fact that he’s pining for sex, and she just keeps making “sheathed arrow” jokes and threatens to taser him every other day. Darcy and Chloe have been friends for a pretty long time now, actually, and they’re basically attached at the hip. Also, there was this one time when Darcy dated **Loki Laufeyson** , an exchange student from Norway who really freaks Chloe out, but she thinks he’d be fantastic in bed. He’s _seriously_ wild. But Loki has this girlfriend **Sigyn** , and everything is really complicated and Sigyn is crazy so Chloe just tries to avoid them as much as possible—no matter how beautiful his eyes are.

Loki has this brother, **Thor Odinson** , but he’s a college student and they don’t really see him around. He’s kind of a big idiot, too. But like, a cute idiot that got into school on a football scholarship and is built like a house. He really only comes around to invite the group to college parties, but that isn’t as often as they’d like. And Chloe likes to think that he’s not gay, even though she’s pretty sure she’s seen him ogling Clint for a few months now. Creepy. But Thor’s best friend, **Fandral** , is seriously the hottest guy around and even though he’s kind of a total whore, Chloe’s been keeping an eye on him for years. _Years_. He’s really charming, and you know his parents raised him right because despite the fact everyone says he’s a dirty talker in the bedroom, he really is a gentlemen and can totally sweep you off your feet. Why does college have to get in the way of everything good?

Then there was **Flannery Jaye** , a girl Chloe met originally at work, but then found out she went to their school and just kind of sat in the library all day reading anime novels and obsessing over some kid named Wade Wilson. She has some really strange pink hair, and sometimes you can catch her under the football bleachers smoking a one of those electronic cigarettes. She’s just all over weird, really, but that’s pretty much the norm with this group of friends.

Chloe’s sister, **Ava** , also has pink hair, but her and Flannery don’t really talk. She spends most of her time with Clint and Loki and Darcy, and fawning over Steve Rogers. She’s younger than Chloe by a few years, but that sure as hell doesn’t stop her one bit. **Steve** , on the other hand, is just really sweet to Ava, to everyone, actually. He’s a jock, but of course he is, he’s incredibly handsome and buff and all over jock material. But that doesn’t hide the fact he’s a blushing, virginal art lover who really loves the 40’s era. Any kid who says “swell” is okay in Chloe’s book. (He’s cute, that’s the only reason she likes it.)

The last of the group is **Tony Stark** , the teen billionaire genius who everyone is dying to sleep with. Chloe and him are pretty close, and he’s constantly hitting on her, but she just kind of takes it as a joke and brushes it off. He’s seriously smart, and everyone is always copying off his homework. He spends most of his time in a laboratory his dad donated to the school. It’s in the basement, and is for the “special” kids. Or the kids who’s brains are like, 10 times larger than normal. (Chloe is totally included in that list, she’s a legit fem!Einstein.) But other than his crazy antics and teenage alcoholism, he’s normal. That’s what Chloe ~~loves~~ likes.

And so every day, all of them gather on the lawn and spread out their lunches, sharing and laughing and acting like complete fools. None of them really know why they all cling to each other like plastic wrap, but they do. And that’s what makes everything in their lives so _insane_.


	2. And the leaves were weary of praise,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you even going to the dance, Tony?” “Nope,” he answered quickly, looking down to pick at his fingernails. “I’ve successfully missed every school dance in existence, and I’m not about to break my vow and go. Besides, shitty rap music and fugly skanks rubbing their fish-tacos on my Armani suit are kind of a downer.”

The number one thing they all had in common is their love to party. Sure, there were plenty of other things that made them such close friends, but Chloe could always count on someone to hold her hair back when she was puking up a case of alcohol poisoning.

Fall was party season. The night of the Homecoming game, Tony always threw a ‘pre-party.’ The chances of sneaking booze into the dance were slim, so it was obviously smarter to get completely shit-faced after the big win. (“The East High Vikings haven’t lost a Homecoming game in nearly 50 years, and as Captain, I’m not about to let that streak end now!” Steve had shouted into a megaphone at a Friday pep rally, causing the entire school to go completely _nuts_ with applause.) Who wanted to be a sloppy mess at their senior Homecoming dance, anyways?

 

“So I figure since this is our last Homecoming all together, I’ll crack into my dad’s liquor cabinet and get the good stuff,” Tony announced, plopping down in between Chloe and Bucky on the lawn. They all continued eating, not paying him any attention. “Bruichladdich, Bowmore… I’ll even throw in a bottle of Jager for you, Circus Boy, I know how much you love it—“ Clint threw a handful of acorns at him. Kid had _perfect_ aim. “—Yeah, fuck you too. Anyway, mom and dad have a benefit that night, so we should be in the clear.”

Everyone sort of nodded, most of them with full mouths that prevented them from responded. There was a mumbled sound of different variations of “okay” and “alright”, but for the most part, they were silent. Tony hates it when they’re silent, he really does. “Well aren’t you all just a bunch of killjoys,” he grumbled, pulling an apple out of his backpack and taking a messy bite.

“Will there be vodka?”

Tony looked slowly over towards Natasha and blinked. She was sitting a bit further away from the rest of them, with headphones in and a book in her lap. _Of all the people to pay attention, Ms. I’d-Rather-Split-My-Skull-Then-Talk-To-You pipes up. Showin’ the love, guys, thanks,_ he thinks. “A bottle of Scottish Diva for the Russian. Got it.” Bucky opened his mouth to speak, but Tony stopped him. “Yeah, yeah, one for you too, mutt,” he added with an eye roll.

The teen billionaire turned to Chloe, a smirk forming on his lips. She tilted her head up and raised an eyebrow. “And what about you, gorgeous? Are you going to be my drunken Homecoming princess?” Tony mused, laying a hand on her knee. (Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Steve stiffen up and stab—angrily?—at a chicken fried steak. He was such a freak sometimes.) She scoffed, shoving his hand away. Now here comes the funny part—Chloe is literally in love with Tony Stark. Not in a ‘petty crush since kindergarten’ way, but in a ‘I seriously want to marry you and mother your children and spend the rest of my life with no one but you’ kind of way. If she were a guy, she’d jerk off to his picture 800 times a day, no joke. Not that she’d ever tell _him_ that. Chloe wasn’t the dating type, and good _god_ , neither was he. The both of them had a very similar routine when it came to the opposite sex: sleep with them. And no matter how many times a day Tony hit on her, she knew the only reason was because he wanted to get laid, and he knew she put out. But Chloe was a fucking sap and wanted to love him right, so she pretended to be grossed out.

Pressing play now—“Are you even _going_ to the dance, Tony?” “Nope,” he answered quickly, looking down to pick at his fingernails. “I’ve successfully missed every school dance in existence, and I’m not about to break my vow and _go_. Besides, shitty rap music and fugly skanks rubbing their fish-tacos on my Armani suit are kind of a downer.” That got quite a laugh from the group, and even a few freshman boys tossing a football around a few yards away. Tony just shrugged, biting in his apple again. “Only reason I’m going to prom is because Jarvis will hang my ass on the wall if he doesn’t have some kind photographed memorabilia of me actually being _happy_ in high school.” “Well maybe if you spent more time participating with the rest of us instead of getting drunk with hookers then—“ “ _Clint, so help me god, I will fucking shove one of those damn arrows into your larynx._ ” That shut him up.

The bell rang, and they all started to move, standing and stretching. Sitting on the ground for an hour probably wasn’t something you should do every day, and it was already enough hell getting the grass stains out of your pants. Natasha scurried off toward the library quickly, followed by Loki and Sigyn, hands clasped tightly together, to Mythology. Ava trudged her way to the gym, Flannery ran in search of Wade Wilson, Darcy nearly tripped over her bag, grumbling about asking her Government teacher a few questions, and Bucky unhappily went in the direction of English. Tony, on the other hand, was done with classes for the day, the Einstein fuck, and Steve had AP American History with Chloe this period, so he hung around awkwardly while she finished her conversation.

“Maybe you can just be my date to the party,” Tony suggested, digging around his bag for car keys. Chloe sighed, sliding her backpack over her shoulders. “I already have a date.” _Are you literally stupid, why would you tell him that?_ He flashed his big brown eyes at her solemnly. Fuck, he really shouldn’t do that to her. “Maybe next time.” And then he was gone, walking away towards the parking lot, hanging his head.

_I am the biggest idiot to ever have the misfortune of existing._

Steve brought her out of reality with a question she didn’t hear. “What?” She walked with him up the steps and into the building, mentally kicking herself in gut. “I said,” he repeated, “who are you going with?” She blinked. “Who am I going with where?” His face kind of wrinkled up in confusion. “The dance.” _Oh_. She made a ‘blah’ noise, sticking her tongue out unattractively and shrugging her shoulders. “No one. I just told him that to leave me alone.” Steve smiled a little, almost blissfully. “Maybe we could go together. You know, so at least you’re not lying to him.” Chloe turned her head to look at him and raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking me out?” _Is this actually fucking happening right now, can this **not** happen, oh my fucking_ —“I guess I am, yeah.”

Okay, so Steve had balls. In the years that Chloe had known him, he’d probably only had one girlfriend, Peggy Carter, and she went off to college in England, or something. (“Oxford, _Oxford!_ Who just picks up and goes to _Oxford?!_ ” Steve had complained. He had been lying on his back in the grass, and arm thrown over his eyes. “Things were going so well, I thought I _loved_ her and she just… ugh.” Only Chloe, Bucky, and Tony had been there, mainly because it would have been so embarrassing for anyone else to see him get so upset ~~and cry.~~ “Things will be okay, man.” Bucky patted his shoulder reassuringly but Steve just brushed it off. “Oxford… I just… gosh _dangit_ , this is _so fraking ridiculous!_ ” Mr. Apple Pie had used the word ‘ _fraking_ ’ and Tony nearly exploded. “Oh my gooooooooodddd,” he had groaned, and fallen over on to the ground to roll around stupidly. “Will you _please_ just say ‘fuck’ already so I can **_DIE_** _._ ”) So it goes to show that Steve had nearly no experience with women, and usually, almost always, gone to the dance alone, with the group.

So yeah, he’s got some juevos. And how could she say no to all around American Boy Steve?

She grinned slightly and nodded, “Sure, why not? Who knows, maybe we’ll even win King and Queen.” Steve just smiled like his mother had given him a brand-spankin’-new motorcycle, and Chloe’s heart swelled.

_I am the biggest idiot to ever have the misfortune of existing, but at least I might get laid._


	3. In the clear silence Beauty found them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe didn’t have anything to say. She gaped at her sister, no idea where to start. Thank God for Steve, right? “Ava, you’re drunk. Maybe I should take you home.” 
> 
> “So you can just mock me? I don’t think so. Don’t you get it, Steve? I—“ She wasn’t going to say it. No, she wouldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this chapter was written by my wonderful friend, Madi, who knows far more about football than I ever will. Thank you, darling.

There were 12 seconds left of the game. The Panthers had the ball, 35 yards to go,  _they were going to win._  It was tied, 28 to 28, and the only way they would win is if they were blessed with some kind of miracle…

The crowd was going insane, the home stands filled with a sea of maroon and gold and the opposing side a menacing blur of green and silver. Everything was in slow motion, and Steve felt like he had  _failed_. He had promised his school a victory, and now they were actually going to  _lose_ after 50 years of straight victory. 

“Rogers!”

He stops pacing as he has been for the past six plays along the sidelines behind the rest of his team, who are all anxiously watching and awaiting both teams' next move and seeks out his head coach's voice. 

The husky man in an "official" coaching raincoat and headset (he obviously tried really hard to be an NFL coach and failed so hard he couldn't even make it as a  _college_ football coach) beckons Steve over, and the quarterback hurries over. 

"Look here, Rogers," the coach says between horrendous chomps on his gum, "you're goin' in for Parker." As if on cue, the injured safety limped off the field with the help of an assistant coach. "I know you're offense and I know you're quarterback, but it really doesn't matter at this point, Rogers. You gotta be a captain, and you gotta get out there." 

Steve nods and pulls his helmet back on, pressing the mouthguard back into his mouth. He isn't entirely sure where the coach is going with this or what exactly he's been smoking, but he's right--he was the captain and he had to go down with this ship. 

"Go, Rogers, go!" the coach suddenly shouts at him, shoving him onto the field before he's even adjusted his chin strap. "You're on! Get your ass out there, boy!"

So he jogs onto the field and joins the defensive huddle on the 35th yard line, and the rest of the players give him strange looks, but there isn't time for questions, and they're lining up in no time whatsoever. From here, he feels so far from the line of scrimmage, and it's so uncomfortable, but he reminds himself of his duty and takes a deep breath. 

The Panthers' quarterback screams " _Down_!" in a hoarse voice and Steve's head starts spinning. 

" _Set_!" He felt like throwing up. 

There's a cold silence throughout the entire stadium, and the entire audience seems to hold its breath. 

" _Hike_!"

From there, it all happens very fast. Both teams move very fast, the offensive line blasting past the line of scrimmage and clashing into the other team. Steve doesn't exactly know why, but the only thing he can see is the other team's quarterback as he winds up, pulls his hand back and chucks the ball across the field. To the wide receiver that's just blasted past the linebacker. 

And he almost laughs because it's like the ball is coming straight for him. The only thing between him and that ball is the kid running for it. 

The entire ordeal is a strange mixture of slow motion and fast forwarding, and the next two seconds go by very fast. Steve leaps and the receiver leaps. Steve reaches for the ball and so does the receiver. But the receiver doesn't catch the ball. 

Steve lands unbelieving of the ball in his hands. All he knows is that the crowd is going _nuts_ and the quarterback looks like he wants to die. 

And so Steve runs. And he runs and runs and runs, leaping over heaps of pads and helmets, shouldering Panthers out of his way and twisting away from grabby hands. And all of a sudden, he was 30 yards from the end zone, and then 20, 10...

And then they  _won._ Against all kinds of odds, the Vikings came back and they  _won._

Hues of gold and maroon storm the field, leaping over railings and thundering down the bleacher steps before the Panthers' coaches have even gotten a chance to finish screaming at the refs, at Steve, at God, whoever they wanted to blame for six a sudden turn of events. But it didn't matter because the Vikings had just won 50 years in a row. 

Someone jumped on Steve, arms wrapping fully around his neck and hugging him tightly. The familiar smell of Chloe’s shampoo filled his nostrils and he smiled widely. She kissed him on the mouth, teeth clashing together but Steve didn’t care. He was the most popular guy in school tonight. He had the most beautiful girlfriend, the best friends, and his senior year couldn’t get _any_ better.

 

 

 

The music was always too loud, the people were always too drunk, but no one _really_ seemed to mind.

Tony had to admit, this was just about the best turn out he’d ever gotten at one of his parties. The entire senior class was there to celebrate, along with most of the junior class, and a few sophomores and freshman who’s parents really just didn’t give a damn what they did. Not to mention, Thor, last year’s Vikings quarterback, decided to bring _his_ football team from _college_. And those guys brought their _cheerleaders_.

Let’s just say that if Tony didn’t get lucky tonight, he would probably kill himself.

Everyone was scattered. It was hard to keep up with the group, but was that really what tonight was about? Tony had a glass of scotch in one hand, and if he timed it right, he could get two gorgeous women in his bed within the hour. (Now that he thought about it, there could be two girls in his bed _right now._ Okay, okay, cut it out Tony, you don’t need an RB right now, that would be so bad.) He shook his head of the thought and took another drink. Maybe he’d go see what Ava was up too…

 

 

 

Ava was in the library. All that fancy-schmancy booze out there… Not her thing. She had a beer in hand, just a plain Corona she brought from home. (Her Uncle Logan had a tendency of accidentally leaving 6-packs outside her bedroom window. She was truly blessed.) The bright haired girl was lounging in an arm chair, a copy of Invisible Monsters open in her lap. It was one of her favorite books… She’d read it probably a million times. “ _No matter how much you think you love somebody, you'll step back when the pool of their blood edges up too close_ ,” she murmured to herself. Her mind wandered to someone she loved. Sure, she was only 15, and love was such a _strong_ word… But no, she was sure, she loved this boy with all her heart.

How silly was it for her to love the captain of the football team? _Her sister’s boyfriend_.

Sighing, she shut the book and downed her beer. As she reached for another, a wave of nausea hit her. _Oh man, maybe I should stop.. How many have I had?_ But she opened the can anyways and started drinking. Anything to get the _vivid_ image of Chloe jumping on Steve and practically eating his face off out of her head.

Oh, but of course, because her life _sucked_ , in came the Devil himself.

The door to the library stumbled open, and entered a very drunk Chloe and Steve, kissing madly. Chloe saw her and giggled, “Oooh! Sorry, sis. Just looking for a place a little more private. Guess we got the wrong room! We’ll just get out of your—“

And then Ava threw a vase at her.

Steve pulled Chloe out of the way before it could hit her, and Ava just about blew her top. “God dammit! Do you have to be so fucking perfect? Why’d you pick my sister, huh? _Huh?_ You know she’s a _whore_ right? As in, _not a virgin?_ And she’s probably only dating you because she wants to **fuck you**!” They don’t call her a fiery red head for nothing. (Pink is totally a shade of red, fuck you very much.) The couple was dumbfounded, and it only made her so much more angry that Steve had a protective arm wrapped around Chloe. “You take everything I want, Chloe. Everything. You took away my relationship with dad, you’re the reason I don’t even _remember_ mom, and you’re just…” She sighed, furiously wiping away tears that totally didn’t exist. “You’re so fucking good at everything, and because of you, I’m going to be alone. So thanks.”

Chloe didn’t have anything to say.  She gaped at her sister, no idea where to start. Thank God for Steve, right? “Ava, you’re drunk. Maybe I should take you home.”

“So you can just mock me? I don’t think so. Don’t you _get it_ , Steve? I—“ She wasn’t going to say it. No, she _wouldn’t_.

Chloe was drunk, too. Really drunk. She understood that,  yes, Ava was mad, and yeah, she just threw a fucking vase at her, but.. Why? She had no idea how she felt about Steve… She barely knew how she felt about Steve, herself.

“Ava, I’m sorry..” She managed. She wanted to get more out, wanted to _really_ apologize. Ava was her sister after all.

Tony burst into the room. He looked at Steve, Chloe, Ava, the shattered vase on the floor, then back at Ava. “YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BREAK MY SHIT, AVA, THAT’S MY MOM’S.” Ava just simply flipped him the bird and pushed past him. “Fuck you, Tony. Fuck you, Steve. _Fuck you, **sis**._ ”

She left quickly, making her way through the crowd and leaving the mansion. She’d catch a cab, she’d walk home, she’d _run away_ … Anything to get away from this place, her sister, Steve. Especially Steve, oh _god_ , he knew now. He fucking knew that she was in love with him, and she could only hope to the gods that he wouldn’t remember in the morning.

So Ava ran. She decided the safest place to go was her uncle’s. There, she could hide from her ‘friends’, her family, her Steve, everything. And most importantly, she wouldn’t have to go to that _stupid_ homecoming dance to see her _stupid_ sister get crowned Homecoming Queen. And of course, Steve would be her king.

“Fuck ‘em all,” Logan said to her later that night over beer and tobacco. “Stick with me, bud, and you’ll see. Love is weakness. You don’t need ‘em.”

 

 

 

Tony was desperately cleaning up the shattered pieces of his mother’s vase, and Chloe was kneeling next to him, trying to help. “Dammit, Chlo, you’re gonna cut your hands, stop—“ Chloe grabbed his hands and he shut up. One of the few things that would shut Tony Stark up, really. “I’m sorry about her. I’ll buy a new vase.”

“You wouldn’t be able to afford it.” “Then I’ll tell your mom it was my fault.”

Tony looked up into her face. Her eyes were a little bloodshot, from the alcohol, and her lips a little swollen, from Steve. He sighed.

This year was going to be a lot harder than he thought. Then they _all_ thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who is reading. This is the first time I've really published full fics online, so feedback is welcome!


	4. And shewed them all her ways.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By the middle of homeroom, Bucky felt a little funny. Not sick funny but… Well, he couldn’t really put his finger on it. By the time the bell rang, he knew exactly what it was. He scowled at Clint and Loki, who only smiled and said “Good luck!” as they went on to their class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like this chapter at all but oh well ;-;

Ava never came home.

Weeks had passed, and she just hadn’t turned up. Chloe wasn’t stupid; she knew her sister had fled to their Uncle Logan’s, but when she and her dad showed up at Logan’s house the morning after she left… They were gone.

Daniel Logan’s first instinct was to send out a missing persons report, and while that was a good idea, it was Chloe’s job to assure him that things were going to be okay, and that wasn’t necessary. She was the woman of the house, after all. Her dad has been quite emotional since her mother died 7 years ago, and losing another person he loves… Chloe didn’t think she could bear to watch this happen again.

“Look, Uncle Logan probably just thought it in her best interest for her to get away for a while. I bet he took her up to the old Howlett plantation, and she’s _fine_ ,” she’d told him with a comforting squeeze to the hand. Her father had sighed, “You Logans… All so dramatic.” And then they’d left, because really, what else was there to do?

So they went on, hoping each day that Ava would come home. She didn’t.

Now it was Friday, the last day of school before East High let out for Thanksgiving break. Chloe was walking to school, trying to not be angry about the pity that kids were giving her and her family, especially now that it was the holidays. “Morons,” she muttered to herself, kicking a rock on the ground.

“Chlo! Hey! Wait!”

The brunette turned around quickly to see Darcy Lewis running towards her. “Wait up! _No_ , not you! I don’t even _know_ you!” A couple walking looked at her oddly, and Chloe laughed. Darcy caught up, breathing heavily. “I need…” she huffed, bending over at the waist and gripping her knees tightly, “to talk to you.” “What? What? What’s up?” Chloe leaned over to check and make sure she was okay, and Darcy straightened up. She was fidgeting, which is usually a bad sign, considering Darcy was _never_ nervous. She carried around a taser, for God’s sake, and everyone knew it. “We have a problem.” Chloe raised an eyebrow, questioningly.

“I’m pregnant.”

If you rewind, you’ll remember that Darcy had (past tense, yes) a boyfriend, Clint. They started dating over summer, and were pretty much inseparable until recently. But back on topic: the night of the Homecoming dance, Darcy decided it was about time she and Clint ‘made love,’ as everyone likes to call it.

It was almost 2AM before Clint’s restored 1956 Ford Thunderbird—in bright purple, like a _proper_ faggot—pulled up outside Darcy’s extremely average home. They’d sat there a few minutes, before Darcy shifted uncomfortably in her seat, asking “Are you gonna walk me to the door?” Clint has jumped up nervously with a loud “Yeah!” He was still working on the whole gentlemen thing.

So Clint got out of The Hawk, went around to open Darcy’s door and led her up the porch steps. They’d stood there awkwardly for a moments and then—“My parents are gone for the weekend.” And Clint had half her clothes off by the time they got through the front door. And ever since, they’d been fucking like rabbits.

Well, at least that’s how Darcy likes to tell the story. Anyways—

“You’re _what?_ ” “Oh, don’t play stupid, I know you heard me. Clint knocked me up, and I have half a mind to tazer him in the nutsack. Honestly, does nobody remember ‘When In Doubt, Pull Out’?”

Chloe stared dumbly at Darcy for a couple of seconds, trying to make sense of what she just said. ( _When In Doubt, Pull Out, are you kidding me?!_ )

“Pregnant. Like, full-fledged bun in the oven, there’s only 9 months until you’re gonna pop.” Darcy simply nodded, “More like 7 ½. Am I showing yet?” Chloe wanted to kick her.

Instead, she started walking again, leaving Darcy jogging behind her. “You shouldn’t make your pregnant best friend run, you know.” She rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t have gotten pregnant.”

It was safe to say that yeah, Chloe was pretty pissed, because not only was the teenage pregnancy rate rising like _crazy_ , but… kids? Out of their entire group, she never really expected any of them to ever have children. Well, maybe Steve, but she sure as hell wasn’t gonna be the mother hen in that situation. Nuh-uh, no sir.

She and Darcy walked the rest of the way in school in almost complete silence. In all honesty, she didn’t have much to say. When they reached homeroom, Darcy muttered, “Don’t tell Clint. Don’t tell _anyone_. I’ll tell them all later.”

And now she had to keep secrets from everyone. Awesome.

 

While his ex girlfriend was busy royally freaking out, Clint Barton had a few tricks up his sleeve. And the fact that he was playing this certain prank with Loki… Yeah, not a good combination.

Senior homeroom was split up pretty evenly. Chloe, Darcy, and Tony had Ms. Hill. Flannery, Steve, and Natasha were across the hall with Mr. Coulson. Clint, Loki, and Bucky… well, they had Principal Fury, since their _actual_ teacher was out on maternity leave.

God knows those three boys couldn’t be trusted, and with Fury as their teacher? Start praying.

“Barnes!”

Bucky turned around slowly in his chair, only to see Clint and Loki smiling slyly at him. He sighed, “What?” “Do you want the rest of this?”

Loki held out a McDonald’s cup to him. “It’s just coke.” Bucky squinted his eyes slightly. “What’d you do to it?” The exchange student rolled his eyes, thrusting the cup into Bucky’s hands. “Nothing, idiot. Can’t I just be _nice_?”

“No.” But Bucky took it anyways. There wasn’t much left, so he popped the lid off and downed the coke in a matter of seconds. He thought he felt something hard slide down his throat as he drank, but he declared it a piece of ice, and that was it.

By the middle of homeroom, Bucky felt a little funny. Not sick funny but… Well, he couldn’t really put his finger on it. By the time the bell rang, he knew exactly what it was. He scowled at Clint and Loki, who only smiled and said “Good luck!” as they went on to their class.

Bucky was horny. Not normal horny, but _Viagra_ horny. And boy, did he have an boner from hell.

He covered himself with his textbooks and hastily made his way down the hall, stepping inside the nearest janitorial closet when the cost was clear. He breathed, looking down at the bulge in his pants. “ _God dammit_ ,” he muttered, hitting his head against the wall. Outside the closet, he could hear the soft voices of kids as they slowly made their way to class.

“Darcy, this is serious! You can’t just put this off by castrating Barton.” _Chloe!_ Bucky pressed his ear to the door quickly. “I can sure try,” he heard Darcy respond. He briefly wondered what they could be talking about, but he pushed it aside and opened the door, grabbing Chloe by the arm and yanking her into the closet.

“What the fuck?!” After he’d shut the door, ignoring Darcy’s protests and knocks, he turned to his best friend. “Bucky, what the hell are you doing in a closet?” “We have a problem.”

Chloe just frowned. That wasn’t the first time she’d heard that today. “What on Earth could possibly be wrong with you?”

“Clint and Loki slipped me Viagra.”

She blinked. Then blinked a few more times and started laughing. Bucky rolled his eyes, “It’s not funny.” That didn’t stop her from laughing. Of all the awful things that could happen today, this was the best. Of course, that all ended when Bucky grabbed her by the forearms and slammed her into the wall. “Wha-“ “It’s not,” he slowly rubbed his erection against her inner thigh and she gasped, “funny.”

She gulped. “S-so you need… need help.” _Way to go, Chloe, sound like a fucking idiot._ Bucky just nodded. “You know I wouldn’t ask you for this unless I was seriously drunk, or in a situation like this.”

She had two options here. Try to push Bucky off of her and make a run for it, or stay and— “So what? B-blowjob, handjob..” “Have sex with me.”

Okay, so maybe her brain shut down a little bit.

“Steve is your best friend...”

“Have sex with me, Chloe.”

“ _I’m dating your best friend._ ”

“ _Please_.”

“I—“ And then he was kissing her. It was different than kisses she’d gotten lately. Steve was so soft and gentle and careful, but _Bucky_ … God damn, that boy could kiss. His tongue pushed past her lips, practically licking her molars, and she immediately found herself burying fingers in his hair and rocking her hips against his.  He pulled away, groaning, and stared at her. “Is that a yes?”

All she had to do was nod and he was yanking down her jeans.


	5. In the high noon of the heavenly garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We have a problem.” “Nothing good ever happens when you say those words, Barnes. Look what happened last time.”

Weeks passed.

Darcy’s belly was the size of a watermelon by the last day before Christmas  break, and everyone—meaning the girls—was excited to be finding out the sex of the baby in just a few short days. Despite that, and the fact that it was holiday season, everyone was on edge. Sigyn had barely stopped crying ever since she’d been kicked off the cheerleading squad for having sex with Loki in the locker room, Natasha was going insane about finals and had almost pulled a pistol on Tony when he said he’d take them for her—“Honestly, I’m trying to do a nice fucking thing here!” “I’m giving you 10 seconds to get as far away from me as possible, or I’ll shoot straight through your cold, little Grinch of a heart.”—and Clint had started skipping school and going off to God knows where to avoid Darcy at all costs.  Merry _fucking_ Christmas.

 

 

With only 4 days until Santa Claus’ arrival, some might say it was strange for Clint Barton to be sitting in a hot tub. Considering it was 1 o’clock in the afternoon and he _should_ be sitting in AP Bio right now. But instead of slicing open a field mouse, he was relaxed in an indoor hot tub that Thor Odinson had installed into the middle of his apartment. (He was on the ground floor—no worries.)

Sometimes when Clint got upset, he’d head over to the other side of town to hang out with Thor, considering they’d been like best friends all through high school. They’d drink beers and watch horror movies and have those man-to-man talks that Clint was never able to have with anyone else.

Today, he needed one of those talks.

“So you knocked her up. What’s so bad about that? I mean, I know you’re only a senior, but everything will be _fine_.” Thor tossed back the rest of his Bud Light and threw the bottle towards the nearest trashcan. He missed. Clint gave a short laugh, staring down into the neck of his own drink. “How the fuck am I supposed to raise a kid? And... Darcy is so playing this the wrong way. She’s so excited and I—“ He took a swig. “I can’t even _look_ at her without feeling like a huge failure. This isn’t how I wanted my senior year to go.”

Thor simply frowned, “Maybe she’s trying to stay strong. You can’t actually think she’s not afraid.” _Does he always have to be right?_ Clint let out a long sigh. It was times like these where he wished he’d grown up in a normal family, and not tossed around from foster home to foster home. Would it kill someone to actually be a father to him? Then he’d at least have some kind of example to follow for his own damn kid.

“I guess you’re right.” “Of course I am. I’m always right. Now have another beer.”

Clint leaned over the side of the hot tub to reach for the six-pack, pulling another bottle out of the box and popping the cap off. He slid back into the warm water, noticing he was significantly closer to his friend now. Not giving it a second thought, he took the first sip of the alcohol and laid his head back against the edge, eyes falling closed for a few moments.

Thor’s hand came down with a soft clap on his shoulder and he reopened his eyes, staring up into deep blue ones. “No matter what, I’m going to be here for you, Clint. And I want to help you as much as I can. What are friends for?” Clint sucked in a breath. Why was Thor so close to him? Not that it was weird, but.. _it was weird_. And his voice was so god damn sexy.. _Um. What the hell did you just think, Barton? God fuck._ “Th-thanks,” he mumbled, giving him a small smile.

When it felt like Thor was leaning in just a little too close— _and totally starting to close his eyes_ —Clint jumped up, splashing water all on to the floor. “Sorry!” He exclaimed, scrambling out of the tub, grabbing a towel off a nearby chair. “I—“ “I have to go.”

Before Thor could even get a word in, Clint was pulling his purple t-shirt over his head, slipping on his shoes and running out the door to his car. He didn’t even care that it was nearly freezing outside and he was in shorts.

Once in the driver’s seat, he let himself relax. _Okay. **What** just happened?_

 

 

Things were just as confusing back at the school. After the second period bell had rang, Chloe pushed her way through the hall to her locker to grab her Trig book. She spun in the combination and rummaged through some papers before grabbing the book and slamming the metal closed, only to reveal Bucky leaning up against the wall next to her.

“We have a problem.” “Nothing good ever happens when you say those words, Barnes. Look what happened last time.”

Since their ‘escapade’ a few weeks ago, things had been a little awkward, but they’d tried to ignore it. Bucky and Chloe were the best of the _best_ of friends. They weren’t going to let 15 minutes of sex change any of that.

“Yeah, about that.”

Huh.

“You know Jack Hammer? Geeky little sophomore on the basketball team? Apparently, _just for fun_ , he hacked into the school’s security cameras to delete some footage of him pulling some prank, _I don’t know_ , but he..” Bucky bit his bottom lip nervously. “He found some... other stuff.”

Chloe blinked.

“Some _us_ stuff.”

The Trig book fell out of her hands and hit the floor with a thud.

“He’s showing it around the locker room right now. Johnny just texted me.”

When her brain finally decided to function again, Chloe almost choked. “Are you _fucking kidding me?_ I’m gonna kill that little kid, I swear to God, once I get my hands on him…!—Oh my god. _Bucky_.”

“What?”

“ _Steve_ is on the basketball team.”

“Oh, Jesus fucking Christ.”

 

 

 

Steve is on the basketball team. Steve had seen the video.

Well, most of it.

All the guys were crowded around Jack’s iPhone, laughing and making a lot of noise. Steve had just stepped out of the shower and was going back to his locker for clothes when all the noise stopped.

“What?” The group stared at him. James “Rhodey” Rhodes was the first to speak. “Guys, I don’t think this is a good idea—“ But Reed Richards had interrupted him: “Oh no, Steve, you need to see this.”

Then he watched his best friend slam _his girlfriend_ into the wall of a janitor’s closet and fuck her. And he really meant _fuck her_. Steve knew he wasn’t the all time best at sex, but all the times he and Chloe had done it, she seemed satisfied and happy with him every time. She always told him how fantastic he was, and how good he made her feel, but _this_ …

Never had he made her react like she did in this video. With _Bucky_.

Once he’d gotten dressed and decided he was going to confront the two of them in a civil manner, despite how unbelievably fucking _pissed off_ he was, there was a beep from the loud speaker above and Principal Fury started to speak.

“James Barnes. Chloe Logan. Get to my office, _now_.”

Steve sighed. It would have to wait until lunch. Slowly the other boys left the locker room, each of them giving him a pat on the shoulder or a quiet “Sorry.” Once everyone was gone, Steve buried his face in his hands and waited out the next  hour.

 

 

They’d gotten suspended.

Only for a week, and it didn’t have to be served until after the Christmas break, but still. And after that, they’d still have to go to detention with Fury every day after school. Cleaning trophy cases and scrubbing graffiti off all the bathroom stalls in the school.

Chloe and Bucky left Fury’s office groggily. Chloe had cried a lot, and Bucky had gotten so mad he’d blown at Fury about how “I’m 18 fucking years old and if I want to fuck someone, I’ll do it when and wherever I want!” 

To which Fury replied by standing up tall, looming over them, and yelled, “You go to my mother fucking school and you mother fuckers will do as I mother fucking _please_!”

Yeah, that shut Bucky up.

It was lunchtime when they got out, and the two of them thought it was best to go face their friends—and Steve— _now_ rather than later.

It was a really bad idea.

 

 

 

Steve was pacing the lawn when they got there.  He looked up, only to see Bucky practically pulling Chloe down to their normal spot.

“Chloe, god dammit, you have to—“ He didn’t get to finish that sentence because Steve’s hands were on him, lifting him up by the jacket arms and throwing him down in the snow. Other groups sitting on the lawn had started to show up, wanting to see how this fight played out. Were they in for a good show or what?

“Don’t you _ever_ ,” Steve spat, not even caring that his best fucking friend was lying in the snow gaping up at him like he’d just shot him, “touch my girlfriend again.”

Bucky sat up on his elbows and huffed out a laugh, “You’re just mad I touch her better than you do.” Oh for the love of God, that was the worst possible thing he could have said. (Chloe would deny that fact until the day she died, because really, _Bucky, god damn_. Magic.)

“ _James!_ ” Chloe screeched, rolling her eyes and dropping to her knees to make sure he was alright. She looked up at Steve, puffy eyes started to swell with tears again. “Steve, _please_. Don’t do this. This isn’t Bucky’s fault, I can explain—“ “Explain what, Chlo? That even after I pawned after you for months and _gave you my virginity_ , you still slept with my best friend? Is he really that much better than me? Because he’s always doing this. He’s done it since we were _kids_. You even made a pass at Peggy last year, didn’t you, Bucky?” Bucky just groaned. “ _Didn’t you?_ ” “Jesus fuck, Steve, _yes_. I tried to hook up with Peggy. At least she liked you enough to say _no_.”

Chloe hit him really hard in the head. “You’re making this _so_ much worse.”

 Steve leaned down and grabbed Bucky’s shirt again, pulling him up so they were seeing eye to eye. “Why’d you do it?” It was quiet all around. Everyone was staring and Chloe felt like she was inside a fish tank as she stood up and tried to put a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Steve, come on—“ “ _No_. I want to hear this.”

Bucky straightened himself off, pushing Steve away and letting out a sigh. “You want the truth?” Steve gave a curt nod. “I…” _It’s now or never, Barnes, man up._ “I love her.”

Steve stared at him. So did Chloe, because frankly, she was _pretty sure_ he’d never said those words to her, and them having sex had _nothing_ to do with him _being in love with her_. “You what?”

Bucky shrugged. “Barton slipped me some Viagra that day. I had a hard-on from  hell, and asked Chloe for help. I knew she’d say yes, and I’m _eternally_ grateful, but then I just… I started loving her.” Steve took a step forward. “You take everyone from me. It’s like some sick _game_. ‘Oh, Steve has a new girlfriend, let’s see if I can _fuck her_!’ What the hell is wrong with you?”

“It’s not like I went after her on purpose! I was in trouble! Maybe if your girlfriend wasn’t such a _slut_ —“

Chloe choked.

Steve shoved Bucky back, “Don’t you dare talk about her like that.” Bucky’s eyes grew wide as he looked over at Chloe. She had her hands covering her mouth and her eyes shined like glass. “Is that what you really think of me?” Her voice was barely audible. “Chlo—“ “ _Is that what you really think of me?_ ”

“Well, who the fuck _haven’t_ you slept with?!”

Everyone ignored Tony as he slowly raised his hand, pouting.

Chloe shook her head, letting tears fall from her eyes. “I can’t believe you.” He took a step towards her, obviously realizing just how hurtful his words were.

When Chloe lost her virginity sophomore year, she went a little power crazy. She was young, hot, available, and a lot of the boys—including the much older ones—wanted to sleep with her when they heard she was putting out. So she gave in. One guy in particular had gotten her drunk enough to give him a strip tease while he videotaped it. He sent it out to his friends, who sent it out to their friends, who sent it to theirs. Chloe was taunted for _months_ and _months_. They spray painted “SLUT” all over her car and locker and a few boys even asked if they could _pay her_ for sex. Then she started hanging out with Natasha who taught her how to kick their asses, and everything settled down.  

Let’s just say, if you call Chloe Logan a slut, you’re in for a beating.

But Chloe didn’t want to hit Bucky. Well, she _did_ , but she wouldn’t. More than anything, she was upset. That after everything they’d been through together, he’d stoop as low as saying he _knew_ she’d have sex with him. As if she couldn’t refuse sex at all.

“Chloe…” he started, reaching out his hand. “ _No._ ” She snapped, moving away from him. “Don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t.. don’t _think_ about me.” Angrily, she wiped tears away from her face and picked the backpack she’d thrown aside earlier—when she’d gone to _help him_ , remember? Yeah.

“I don’t _ever_ want to see you again.” “Chloe, please, I didn’t mean—“ “ _Ever_.”

She stormed off. Everyone started to disassemble then; kids shut their video cameras off and left, returning to their lunches and own conversations. Bucky turned to Steve, who merely shook his head at him. “I’m mad at her, but I wouldn’t have gone that far.” Natasha stalked past him, making a ‘tsk’ noise with her tongue and mumbling about how much of an idiot he was. Even Tony gave him a little shove to the arm and told him off—“I’m the biggest dick around, but even _I_ wouldn’t have said that to Chloe. When all she did was _help you_? Some friend you are.”

And eventually… Bucky was alone.

 

 

 

Chloe was sure the video would be up on YouTube before the end of the school day, but she didn’t care. She walked and walked, past her own house and past her uncle’s house to the cemetery that was on the other side of town.  She pushed the gate open with a creek and smiled softly at the old man who worked in the tiny office building on the side of the acre that was out watering some flowers.

She walked slowly through the sea of headstones until she came across one that had ‘LEVESQUE’ scrolled across the top of it. Sitting down at the side of grave, she sighed, reaching out to straighten the roses that were placed there.

“If you… were around, this probably wouldn’t have happened,” she said softly, looking down at the dirt. “I don’t know what to do, mom. I just... I don’t know what to do. It’s so hard without you.  I.. You’re probably frowning at me right now. Bucky’s right, isn’t he? I am a slut.” Those weren’t exactly words someone says to their mother, but.. Chloe felt it was appropriate. “Everyone is gonna hate me. More than they already do.”

Chloe knew that wasn’t true. If anything, everyone would be mad at Bucky. Even Steve might forgive her. But sometimes, _lying_ was better than admitting that the only person that really hates you is yourself.


End file.
